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“has been shitted on all over by greedy restaurants, florists, and whoever else that think that they can jack up prices and stress people out. Not even a real ‘holiday.’” -Lisa H.

“is a basic ‘holiday’ that basic people like to celebrate.” -Jane K.

“sucks because restaurants are all booked and I can’t eat what I want >:[.” -Tracy C.

“Yo if the girl really mattered, every day should be like Valentine’s Day. #RealTalk” -Minsu C.

This vintage card now costs $10-$15.

We hate Valentine’s Day because it became a way for people to get sucked into the black hole of consumerism. Undoubtedly, businesses jump on any holidays and romanticize them for people to buy things. Romantic holidays include Valentine’s Day, Christmas, New Years— Holidays for couples to frolic in each other’s presence & “soak up each others’ awesomeness” (Thanks, Janice Ian!). Halloween is becoming romanticized also; couples get to match their costumes with each other. Before we know it, businesses will hop on Lincoln Day or Martin Luther King’s Day. I won’t predict how they will do it because it may be too inappropriate for me to share. You will have to use your own imagination for that.

So… why do we go gaga over Valentine’s Day? What is love, anyway? What is romance? What does it mean to “romance” someone?

It seems like Hollywood and Disney have a huge influence for defining romance and love.

Bryan: Because it’s a date. I have to pay for everything and think of something really fun to do but I only have a little big of money in my piggy bank. I’m a gentleman. I want to be a gentleman, but it’s so hard…

He’s 9 years old. Even my little brother has already grasped what society thinks is romantic. Disney and Hollywood was stressing the heebie jeebies out of my little baby brother.

Don’t pay too much attention to Hollywood and Disney. Pay attention to these love stories instead:

–The Love Abroad by Anonymous

“When I was in Prague I was with this girl who would always give me a kiss on the eyebrow. I would always feel more refreshed waking up to that no matter how sleepless the night before was. Really, it only lasted a few seconds but time kinda stopped for me. Call me simple but it’s shit like that that gets to me. Grand romantic gestures are great but they are few and far between, relatively impractical and rarely sustainable. I’ve always found good romance leads to love in its consistency.”

–Love is Choice by Jerry Wang & Wendy Lee

“Love is a choice. You wake up daily and choose to love somebody not based upon your feelings, but based upon your vow to try and love as unconditionally as possible. The grass isn’t greener on the other side, it’s only green where you water it because you have to choose to invest and love somebody first before you reap the fruits of it. You have to love even when it’s tough, even when you don’t see green as soon as you expect it to. It takes time and patience. I believe those efforts will allow somebody to look back and say, ‘it was all worth it.’”

For example, “God didn’t have to send his one and only son to Earth and die for us if He didn’t love us. He chose to love us thus he fought for us and didn’t give up on us.”

Where you invest love, you invest your life.

You shouldn’t love someone just because that someone makes you happy. You should love someone to make that person happy.

Whether it be grand or small gestures, it feels good to be reminded how much love is around us.

That’s why holidays exist. They’re reminders.

Couple of weeks ago, I did an inspiration shoot for my friend’s event planning service called #EventsByTiffie. Specifically weddings. It was always my dream to model wedding dresses. One time, I was so excited to model for this wedding boutique, but I was so young and flat-chested that the owner made me model bridesmaids dresses instead. The photo shoot was a success & it was such a blast working with talented individuals.

The theme, created by Tiffie Lee, is “Love Endures” to capture the timelessness of love and how it transcends both time and is not isolated between a bride and groom or any other romantic couple. Love, including the wedding day, is about much more — the love of parent and child, friends and family, etc.

Like weddings, Valentine’s Day celebrates love. Like weddings, love is not something that is not shared only between a man and woman for a set period of time— it is something that passes through generations and is shared between lovers, family, friends, and community. Like weddings, Valentine’s Day is a reminder to:

“have an excuse to do a little somethin’ extra for [the ones you love],” because “it’s always nice to be sweet to others and make those that you love happy.” -Claire J.

Weeks ago, our Digital Media Production professor, David Silver, from University of San Francisco gave us an assignment to write a tangible love letter to our loved one then upload it on Flickr so the person receiving it would have it in his or her hands but also have it online. Professor Silver thought about this assignment out of the blue when his good colleague, Professor Andrew Goodwin, suddenly passed away from a fire in his Berkeley apartment.

When my grandfather passed away years ago, I wasn’t able to tell him I loved him. I wasn’t allowed to go inside the hospital because I wasn’t 18 years old. It was the day before his birthday and I wrote him a birthday card. He didn’t receive it. And to this day, my heart hurts knowing that.

Also, my uncle passed away right before my high school graduation. I was going through puberty, so I wasn’t the nicest girl at the time. When I asked my mother why uncle didn’t come to my graduation, she told me he went to Korea to see his family. I was angered by this and resented him very much. All my family members kept his death a secret for me to protect me from getting hurt. Once I found out my uncle passed away after my finals, finishing up 1st semester of senior year at USF, I hated myself for being so immature and unloving.

You never know when your loved ones are going to die. You never know when you will die. Thus, they should be reminded frequently that you love them.

Unfortunately, I didn’t do so well on this love letter assignment from Professor Silver. I dedicated a Flickr photo set to my boyfriend (I know, I’m THAT girl who wrote a love letter to her boyfriend. Haters gon’ hate!) but I felt weird and awkward so I didn’t put much love and affection towards this assignment. This is my redemption: I wrote 200 love letters for Daniel Kang, my wonderful and magical boyfriend.

It starts with a little thin strip of paper with sentences filled with love, affection, & memories.

Then, you fold it into a witto-teeny-tiny star.

These are the ones I used. I purchased them at Japantown.

They have directions in the back!

One lonely star inside the glass jar.

50 love stars.

100 love stars.

150 love stars.

200 love stars! Finito!

According to my Korean friends and family, a jar of mini origami stars is a special gift to show commitment and dedication. Also, the person receiving the gift can make a wish & it’ll come true (supposedly).

Dan’s response… *drum roll* “Does this mean I have to unfold every single one of those…”

He likes it!🙂

This Thanksgiving weekend, Dan met my family. Of course, I cannot end this post without Dan’s interactions with my infamous siblings:

Dan: Can we kiss?

Sophia: You can kiss her on the cheek! If you kiss her on the lips, you have to marry her!

Bryan: Ew! Don’t kiss in front of us!

Me: Is Dan a good boyfriend?

Sophia: Yes.

Me: How do you know?

Sophia: He’s a good boyfriend because when your apartment was on fire, he was the first one to run to you.

Dan & Bryan looking at my baby pictures-

Bryan: When Jennifer nuna was a baby, she looked just like me huh? *smirk*

Oh! Before I forget, I updated my Flickr set (DISCLAIMER: YOU MIGHT GET GOOSEBUMPS… YOU MIGHT PUKE). Enjoy🙂

We received a message from our friend, Mia! She says, “acorns are very underrated, and I wonder if you any nutritional meals I can make with acorns”

… hence, we will be using acorn as our main ingredient today!

We are going to make steamed SEASONED ACORN JELLY. Feels avant-garde! READY?

Fun fact: In the 17th century Korea, a juice extracted from acorns was administered to habitual drunkards to cure them of their condition or else to give them strength to resist another bout of drinking.

Ingredients:

half a cup of acorn jelly powder

3 cups of water

1/2 teaspoon of salt

For the seasoning sauce:

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoon of honey

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 stalks of green onions, chopped

1 tablespoon of hot pepper flakes

1.5 tablespoon of sesame oil

1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds (add right before serving so they don’t lose their crispiness)

garnish with shredded red pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the acorn jelly powder, water and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon and strain to remove any lumps. Pour the mixture into a thick bottomed pot and stir over medium heat about 7-8 minutes until it bubbles.

Take the acorn jelly out of the fridge. Turn the glass container upside down over your cutting board so the solidified jelly slides out in one piece. Cut into bite sized pieces (2 in x 1 in and 1/4 in thick).

Put the bite sized acorn jelly pieces inside the mixing bowl of seasoning sauce, then gently mix all together by hand.

Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle sesame seeds and serve.

Simple! Thank you for cooking with me, and tune in again soon for more quick & healthy recipes!

-Milky

ACORN JELLY MASK

P.S.: Skin Food offers an organic product made with acorn! Remember, for each product you purchase from Skin Food, $1 will go to the Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF) for melanoma research. Visit our website here to purchase, or visit the Skin Food store near you!

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT A REAL CAMPAIGN. THIS IS A PROJECT FOR MY ADVERTISING & SOCIAL MEDIA CLASS AT UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO. I DO NOT WORK FOR SKIN FOOD.

Therefore, today, we are going to make PUMPKIN PORRIDGE. So healthy & rich with flavor!

Nutritious fact: Pumpkins are low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. They are also good sources of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopheral), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, and Phosphorus, and very good sources of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Ingredients:

Sweet pumpkin

water

salt

sugar

flour

Directions:

Wash the exterior of the pumpkin, remove the seeds with a spoon, and cut pumpkin into pieces.

Places the pieces of pumpkin in a large pot. Pour 3 cups of water, and bring to a boil over medium high heat for 30 minutes until the contents become soft.

Turn off the heat and let it cool for about 15-20 minutes.

When it’s cooled, scrape the cooked insides out with a spoon.

Place 3 cups of the cooked pumpkin insides into a large pot and add 4 or 5 cups of water and boil.

When the mixture of the pumpkin and water starts boiling, add a bit of flour for thickness, then stir the mixture with a wooden spoon and cook it for a few minutes.

Turn off the heat and add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 cup of sugar and stir it for a few seconds before serving.

Done! Thank you for cooking with me, and tune in again soon for more quick & healthy recipes!

-Milky

P.S.: Skin Food offers an organic product made with pumpkin! Remember, for each product you purchase from Skin Food, $1 will go to the Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF) for melanoma research. Visit our website here to purchase, or visit the Skin Food store near you!

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT A REAL CAMPAIGN. THIS IS A PROJECT FOR MY ADVERTISING & SOCIAL MEDIA CLASS AT UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO. I DO NOT WORK FOR SKIN FOOD.

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Milky Mist. I will provide you with easy ready-to-go recipes for healthy meals!

Let’s begin!

Today, we are going to make steamed BROCCOLI SALAD.

YUM!

Nutritious fact: Broccoli is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Selenium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium, and Manganese.

Ingredients:

2 heads of broccoli (1.5 pounds)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 teaspoons of salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon of crushed hot pepper (optional)

1.5 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1 tablespoon of apple vinegar

Directions:

Thoroughly wash the broccoli in cold water to remove any dirt.

Cut off the tough tip of the stem of each head of broccoli, then cut the heads lengthwise along the individual florets toward the steam and about 4 inch long.

Place the broccoli trees into a pot and add 1/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil with the lid closed for 10 minutes over medium high heat.

Easy! Thank you for cooking with me, and tune in again soon for more quick & healthy recipes!

-Milky

P.S.: Skin Food offers an organic product made with broccoli! Remember, for each product you purchase from Skin Food, $1 will go to the Skin Cancer Foundation (SCF) for melanoma research. Visit our website here to purchase, or visit the Skin Food store near you!

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT A REAL CAMPAIGN. THIS IS A PROJECT FOR MY ADVERTISING & SOCIAL MEDIA CLASS AT UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO. I DO NOT WORK FOR SKIN FOOD.

Today, after class, I had two hours to kill before work so I went home to eat lunch then clean. Well, to be perfectly honest, I just cleaned my own closet. There were so many clothes laying around on my bed, floor, and desk that I’d use the time to clean instead of watch a re-run of Adventure Time.

clean up clean up everybody clean up

I found some dresses I haven’t worn, and some dresses that were worn out. I ended up throwing out four pairs of shoes, two bags, and two dresses. It was very emotional for me… You have no idea how personal and attached I get to clothes. Okay, that came out wrong. I sound a bit superficial as if I get emotional attachment to materialistic things. What I mean is… AHEM, is that I have a lot of memories attached to certain materials; therefore, I have a hard time letting them go. Believe it or not, it took me close to half an hour for me to be emotionally and mentally prepared to say goodbye to my shoes, bags, and dresses.

What is very interesting about San Francisco , or particularly in the Inner Richmond where I reside, is that there is always someone who picks up those things as soon as I throw them out in the street. It’s good to know that they’re not going in the dump, but someone will have their feet and body warm. I just hope it’s not a bulky, hairy viking-looking man who will be wearing my dresses.

hmm, sir, I don’t think baby blue is your color

Living away from home, there are a lot of responsibilities. You have to replace the empty toilet paper roll with a new one, dishes, laundry, vacuum etc. etc. There are so many things I’ve taken for granted. Especially my mom. She used to clean MY closet, put my old clothes in a box, and donated them. I didn’t have to meet face-to-face with my clothes, shoes, and purses to say goodbye. My mom bid them farewell for me. You don’t realize you had it good and that your parents are actually superheroes until you live on your own. Unlike me, who realized this until college, it’s nice to know that my siblings have already figured out our mother is a superhero already.

Bryan: My mom is so good at cleaning

His friend: All moms are! There is an unspeakable super power for moms.

Sophia: No wonder. Jennifer Unni doesn’t have that power yet. She’s a lady not yet a woman.

Nas said “sleep is the cousin of death.”That quote motivates me to run each day instead of the day running me. What is sleep, anyway? Midterms are finally done, but papers and exams are pouring like an endless stream of waterfall. Ohhhh….. FINALS. This semester, the finals are going to be my finalfinals. Get it? heheh…

There are people, other than Nas, who motivates me to endure and prevail my last stretch. Finals mean it’s close to holiday season, holiday season means vacation, and vacation means I get to visit home and reunite with my munchkins.

vicious cycle

Last winter break, I went home on December 23rd, which is right before Christmas Eve. My flight to LAX from SFO got extremely delayed thus I arrived home very late at night and my siblings were asleep. I was so exhausted from finishing up my papers, taking tests, working, packing, and traveling that I completely crashed and went into a deep 16-hour slumber. You can say that I fell into a mini-coma.

Mi familia last Christmas

I woke up to my siblings whispering questions to each other few feet away from me in my room around 2PM:

With only a month and a half away from my college graduation at University of San Francisco, I’m simultaneously excited and scared at the same time. My pastor, Pastor Mark, from Radiance Christian Church once had a sermon about “the 5 stages of adulthood.” The 1st stage is graduating college, 2nd is living independently, 3rd is being financially stable, 4th is getting married, then last stage is having a family.

I cannot believe it’s been over 4 years (I took a year of absence) and I’m already graduating. After I graduate, I will not perform my daily routine, which I’ve been trained to do my whole life. Wake up, get ready for school, go to school, meet some friends, go home. It doesn’t work like that anymore.

Find me wearing this at my Commencement!

Even my best friends, who I have known my entire life, are not equal to me anymore. We will not be labeled as “students” anymore, but rather have professional titles. And there will always be a friend who will make more money than I will; vice versa, a friend who will make less dough than I will. Some will know more about medicine and someone else will be an expert on urban planning.

Questions questions questions! As if I’m not stressed out enough to finish finals and be emotionally and mentally prepared to say goodbye to my youth and college friends! AS IF! *insert Alicia Silverstein’s voice here from Clueless* What’s your major? What are you going to do after college? Are you going to grad school? Do you have an internship under your belt yet? Do you have any connections to that job you want? What company do you want to work for anyway? Are you going to stay in San Francisco? Are you going to go back home and live with your parents and ruin your life? Are you going to be a loser? Are you going to be a loser? Are you going to be a loser?

Sometimes, I feel like I should tell people, “My name is Nobody” like Odysseus.

In 2nd grade, my teacher made our class write a letter to our 18-year-old self. I added a dollar into the envelope just in case I become homeless or something. ANYWAY, Mrs. Villamarin really sent those letters out to us when we turned 18!

I couldn’t stop laughing and crying at the same time while I was reading what 8-year-old Jennifer had wrote to 18-year-old Jennifer. This summer, I went back home as a 22-year-old and pulled out that letter again.

ai m 22 yerz uld & ma name iz nubudy urrr durr

As a kid, you think you will become an adult once you turn 18. As a kid, you think you will have your own car, your own house, and maybe even a husband or a wife. Oh, the innocence. I am able to say I’m already ready for my 2nd stage of adulthood because I already live away from my parents; however, they’re still helping me out with rent (ahhh SF please be nice to me), and paying my phone bills (eeek I’m so embarrassed). Even at the age of 22, I’m such a big baby! As I grow older, I am humbled and grateful of what my parents have done for me, and I cannot imagine reaching my last stage of adulthood: having a family. Because once you have a family, it’s not your life anymore. Because once your mini-me pops into the world, it’s about them now. I cannot imagine taking care of someone else. I can barely take care of myself!

Although… I gotta say… my 9 year old siblings are training me to become a good mommy one day. Except when they say something like this and I just want to turn into a turtle and hide in my shell forever:

Sophia: Unni (which means “big sister” in Korean), how old are you again?

Me: 22, why?

Sophia: How come you already growed up, but you’re still not “something”

Wasabi soybeans. Soybeans covered in wasabi. I am craving some right now.

what they look like

It’s one of my mom’s favorite Japanese snacks. I didn’t like them when I was a kid, because I preferred sweets like Twix bars, Twizzlers, and Recess cups. My favorite type of snacks were Mexican candies like Lucas chile, Cachitadas, Tamarindos, and De La Rosas. ANYWAY, I didn’t like wasabi soybeans because they looked somewhat healthy and the wasabi always stung my nose. Now, I love them.

my favorite brand

The soybeans have pea-like flavor and the wasabi powder is mildly sweet with a zingy finish like horseradish. It can bring tears to some people who cannot handle spicy food (weak, just kidding). I’ve never personally made them, but by dissecting the ingredients in my mouth, I’m sure this is the recipe: the soybeans are roasted, then coated with wasabi powder mixed with sugar, salt, or oil. Pretty simple!

I never liked them as a kid, but my little sister is very good at handling the heat. I guess she does have better genes than I do like my friends say, since she’s more cultured and mature than I am. And she’s only 9. I remember hearing her munching and crunching wasabi soybeans like a bunny inside my parents’ bedroom while watching one of her favorite TV shows called “Calliou.” Here’s an episode:

Me: Hey, come here.

Sophia: Why

Me: Give me a hug

Sophia: *hug*

Me: Give me that (pointing to her bag of wasabi soybeans)

Sophia: Ugh, I knew it! I hope your butt gets bigger! (leaves the bag of wasabi soybeans on the floor, then runs away)

What a sassmonster, huh? Well, I’m off to get some wasabi soybeans! YUM!